Apparatus for dyeing.



No. 657,323. Patehted sept. 4, |900. f J. c. THlcKlNs.

APPARATUS- EUR DYEING.

(Apglicatinn ned kan. e, 1960.)

2 sheets-sheet l.

(No Modei.)

No. 657,323. Patented Sept. 4, |900.

J. C.ITHICKINS.

APPARATUS FOR DYEING.

(Application filed Jan. 8, 1900.)

(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT (ifriciu JOHN C. THICKINS, OF PITTSFIEL, MASSACHUSETTS.`

APPARATUS FOR DYEING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 657,323, dated September 4, 1900.

` Application filed January 8, 1900. serai No. `717. (No moda.)

T0 all whom, it may concern/.r v

Be it known that I, JOHN C; THIcKINs, of

Pittsfield, county of Berkshire, and State of rial, the object being to obtain uniformity in the dyeing` process and also to savetime and manual labor. j

In the use of many ofthe dyeing materials, indigo especially, it is necessary that the material to be dyed should be wholly submerged in the liquid foracertain iength'ot time and the whole piece orlot of material taken out ofthe liquid at once, since the rapid oxidation of the dye causes a variation in shade if part is exposed to the air while another part is still submerged. It' everyskein of yarn or other lot of material or fabric to be dyed is not kept in the liquid during the same length of time, therewill be variations in the shade ot' color in the `different lots, so that there will be a lack of uniformity, which is detrimental. Furthermore, if t-he material to be dyed is taken out of the liquid during the dyeing process and again submerged or a part of a certain lot exposed to the air while the rest of the same lot remains submerged there are likely to be variations in the shade of color owing to the rapid oxidation of the dye. When, therefore, the judgment of the operative is relied upon, as in the hand dipping process, it is practically impossible to secure absolute uniformity in shade.

To accomplish the results desired, the apparatus embodying the ptesent invention is provided with a conveyer for the material to be dyed, the said conveyor being normally wholly submerged in the dyeing liquid and so arranged as to receive a number of skeins of yarn -or lots of material, each of which at a predetermined `point in thetravel of the conveyer can be rapidly lifted o'ut of the liquid, so that the whole skein is exposed to the air at substantially the saine time and can be removed from the conveyer and subjected bodied in means for causing the retaining devices or receptacles for the material to have an oscillating or rocking movement. as they are carried along through the dyeing liquid, i this being preferably accomplished by so arranging the conveyer-chain that it will hang slack between adjacent supports throughout the vat, so that as the said con veyer travels over the said supports each retaining devlce will be tipped first in one direction and then in the other owing to the curved path followed by the chain.

'Ihe supports for the conveyer are preferably sprockets, and in order to keep the said conveyer slack between adjacent supports the said sprockets may be driven by an independent drive-chain which has no correspond- .ing slack, but is adapted to engage with each lof the said sprockets, so that they will all travel at the same rateofspeed, thus maintaining the uniformity of slack or sag in the conveyor or chain.

For the purpose of obtaining a better distribution of the fluid .through the material carried by the conveyer the vat is provided along the upper portion thereof with a series of paddles, which are preferably so arranged that there are three paddles triangularly arranged with relation to each support,the`said paddles having driving mechanism which `causes them to travel in such a way as to set up currents of liquidtoward the receptacles or retaining devices as the same travel over the su pports. Near the bottom of the tank or vat ther are supporting bars or tracks along which the conveyer or the receptacles connected therewith travel, the said tracks preventing the receptacles from sagging too far and maintaining the same at a uniform level above the bottom of the tank. By this device the said receptacles are always kept at too high a level to pass through the sediment which collects at the bottom of the tank, so that the material to be dyed is always subjected to the action of the clear liquid. Since the articles are fed at the top, they are first subjected to the action of the paddles, which are high IOO pa'ddles are shown as provided with sprockets f3, adapted to be driven by a chain f4, which in turn passes overa sprocket f on a suitable shaft provided with a pulley f6, connected by a belt f7 with a pulley uponthe shaft (Z. The said chain, as shown, is carried in azigzag direction along the several sprockets, engaging the upper side of one and the under side of the next, &c., so that the several paddles are rotated in oppositie direc# tions, each pair thus turning so as to force the liquid toward the retaining 'device between them. The lower paddles are shown as arranged directly below the supportingsprockets for the conveyer, and are provided with gears fo, meshing with `gears f4", which are mounted on the shafts Z330, which carry the said supporting-sprockets, the said shafts being uniformly driven, as has been stated, by means of the drive-chain e.

As herein shown, the vat may be provided near its ends with additional agitating devices or paddles somewhat below the main sprockets b2, the said paddles being arranged to rotate in such awayas to produce an upward current toward the retaining devices as they pass over the said end sprockets. These paddles are shown as mounted on suitable shafts and provided with sprockets fg, driven. by chains fm, passing .over sprockets (indicated in dotted lines) mounted on the shafts Z920.

To support the conveyer as it travels along below the sprockets b2, the vat is provided with a track or guide, which may consist of two or more strips a2 of 'suitable material eX- teuding from one end wall of the vat to the other and so positioned as to engage and support the retaining devices as they travel along. The said support is suiiciently far above the bottom of the vat to clear any sediment which'm ay settle upon thesaid bottom, so that the material to be dyed is effectually kept from passing through and stirring up the sediment. The line of retaining devices,

moreover, extending along the said support serves to break up the current produced by the agitating devices, so that the liquid at the bottom of the t-ank is not affected thereby and the sediment not stirred up.

It Vwill be seen from the foregoing description that the material contained in the recep.

tacles along the conveyer will be carried along by the said conveyer wholly submerged in the dyeing liquid, and as it travels along through the upper part of the liquid will not In feeding the apparatus it is essential, iu order to obtain good. results, to insert each bunch of material at the same point in the travel of the conveyer, so that each bunch will be submerged in the liquid as long as every other bunch and no longer, and it is desirable, moreover, that the material should be promptly submerged when rstfed to the machine and promptly taken out when the dyeing operation is finished. To accomplish this, the apparatus is provided with means for lifting the conveyer-chain or the receptacle carried thereby above' the level of the liquid at a certain predetermined point or points in the travel of the conveyer, the said 'conveyer being herein shown as arranged to travel over a lifting. device g, shown as arms provided with a roller g2 to engage the under side of the conveyer-chain, the said arm being connected with a shaft g3, which is adapted to be rotated by the operator to lift the roll g2 and the conveyer which travels over the same. As herein shown,theshaftg3 is provided with a segmental gear g4, meshing with a gear-wheel g5, mounted on a stub shaft having a suitable bearing in the wall of the tank and provided with au operating handle or wheel 9"'. By turning the said wheehthercfore, therconveyer at this point can be thrown upward far enough to lift the receptacle thereon above the level of the liquid, so that-the operator can open the said receptacle and take out the material which has been operated u pon and replace it b v new material to be dyed.

The trear-wheel 5 is shown as rovidedwith i a retaining-paw] g", which is adapted to hold the said wheel after the lifting device has been moved upward, so that the operator is free to take out the material from the receptacle and replace it. The device may be provided, if desired, with one of these liftingdevices at each end, one of which may be used for inserting the material and the other for removing it, so that the said material maybe caried one and a half times around, thus being subjected twice to the action of the liquid where the currents are set up by the paddles. By the use of this lifting device the material can be promptly carried out of the liquid, so that there is no substantial interval of time between the exposure of the top of the material and the exposure of the bottom, which might resultin avariation of shade,.owingto the fact that certain` dyes, especially indigo, oxidize with great rapidity, Furthermore, in the case lof yarn, for example, the skeins when dyed vwith this apparatus are transverse to the carrier and not longitudinally inclined with relation to the surface of the liquid as they are drawn upward. i

The machine is shown as provided with a zpair of squeeze-rolls h adjacent to the lifting ,device above described, the said squeeze-rolls being conveniently driven by means of a sprocket-chain h2 and sprocket upon the shaft b2, so that as soon as the materialis removed from the retaining device it can be subjected IIO IZO

her`ein shown,-;the retaining devices consist of p perforated boxes,each provided with a hinged Vlid or` covexgfas indicated at the left of Fig.

1 and inbrde'r to insure the closing of the vsaid covers if y.the operator through .carelessness or lack of time fails -to see that ztheyare properly closedl the Vmachine-is provided with a closing device c', which isshown as a spring# 1 arm lying inethe path of the retainingk de vices and yadapted to engage vthe covei` near` the hinged end thereof and close the same downas it passes over the sprockets b2. A

' similar device can be provided at theepposite end if the machine is'provided with lifti- I f mgdevices ateach .end `of the vat.

lclaimf- In a:dyeingapp'aratus the combination 5 with a vat to `containthe dyeing liquid; of -a 'whollysubmerged conveyer providedwizth retaining devices'for the material to be dyed;

means for causingthesaid conveyer to travel throu gh the liquid; and ,agitating OrStirr-n g devlces operating in the liquid lto produce currents of liquid toward the said retaining devices at certain points in their tnaueL-as 2. `In la dyeingl apparatus, the combination l n 'with the -v-at adapted to contain-dyeing liquid of an endless traveling conveyer .whollysubmerged in the said liquid; retaining devices connected with said conveyer; and means for producing a rocking or oscillating movement kof said devices during the travel of said conveyer, las set forth.

3. In a dyeing apparatus, the combination With Ia vat containing dyeing liquid;.of an endless conveyer Wholly submerged in the said liquid; ,a series of .supports for the upper part of the said conveyer whichis arranged to'hang slack between said supports; receptacles for the material to be dyed connected with said conveyer; and agitating devices adjacent to said supports and arranged lto operate 1n the liquid and set up converging currents of liquid `towardthe said supports,-sub

stantially as described. l

4. In a dyeing apparatus, the combination with an endless conveyer extending between t a pairof driving-sprockets; adrive-chain for i I rotating said sprockets; supporting-sprockets l for the upper portion .of the conveyer which is arranged to hang slack between the said y supporting sprockets; and means for uni-`r formly driving said supporting-v sprockets from the drive-chain aforesaid, substantially as described. Y

5. `1u a dyeing apparatus, the combination with a pair of sprockets; .of a conveyer-chain provided with retaining devices for the ma# ferial to .be-.dyed and hung loosely over the lsaid sprockets;

intermediate supporting! sprockets for the upper Aportion of thesaid; conveyer-chain; means-for uniformly driving ailllof lsaid sprockets whereby the slack of the conveyer-chain is -'maintained uniform.; and a support or track in theY lower part of the vat v:for the 4lower portion'of said conveyerchain to .prevent the same from sagging to the bottomof the vat and stirring up the sediment ,therein,'su'bstantially as described.

An apparatus for dyeing material such "as yarn comprising a receptacle for the dye,-

ing liquid; a conveyer for the material within the said receptacle and wholly submerged in thenliq-uid; :retaining devices or receptacles consisting of :perforated boxes arranged-to be opened ,for the reception and removal of the material said boxes beingconnected with Said conveyer; means for moving said conveyer'out of the liquid to expose the boxes; and devices for automatically closing the lids rof vsaid boxes in the travel of .the conveyer, substantially asdescribed.

. 7. An l'apparatus for dyeing material such as yarn,.comprising-a receptacle for the dyeing liquid; a con veyer for the material within said receptacle and wholly submerged in the v liquid, .and means for moving said conveyer out of lthe liquid lto -exposethe material at a predetermined point in the vtravel thereof,

substantially as described. v v Mf8. A dyeing Aapparatus'comprising a tank f or receptacle tocontain the .dyeing liquid; an endless Ycon veyer normally wholly submerged in the liquid; and means for raising said coni veyei above the level of the liquid at a predeter-mined point in the travel thereof, said s con veyer being sufciently slack to admit of 1 being thus raised, substantially as described. 1 9. A dyeing apparatus comprising a tank or receptacle to contain thedyeing liquid; an s endless conveyer normally wholly submerged i-n the liquid; means for raising said conveyer above the level of the liquid at'a predeteri mined point in the travel thereof, said lconveyer being sufficiently slack to admit of `being .thus raised; and a supplemental endless drivin g-chain,as and for the purpose set forth. l0. A dyein g apparatus `comprising a tank or receptacle to contain the dyeing liquid; an endlessconveyer normally wholly submerged .in the liquid; and a vertically-movable supscribed.

11. A dyeing apparatus comprising a'tank containing dyeing liquid; a conveyer normally submerged in said liquid; a movable support for said conveyer; and means for' locking said support-after it has been moved,

as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name .to this specification in the presence' of two subscribing witnesses. JOHN C. THICKINS.

Witnesses:

JAMES P. \CALLIsoN,- rJOHN B. TnIcKINs.

IIO

port for said conveyer, substantially as de- 

